The United Kingdom’s 2010 Strategic Defense and Security Review—a budget drill, really—imposed devastating cuts to what had been one of the world’s best militaries. The British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy each had to give up weapons and manpower in the interest of saving money. But arguably the most damaging reductions fell on the navy, which had to surrender both of its remaining Invincible-class light aircraft carriers years earlier than previously planned. And the Harrier jump jets that flew from the flattops went, too—leaving the navy without carrier-launched fighters for the first time since a plane took off...

The U.S. Marine Corps will phase out the Boeing AV-8B Harrier II jump jet by 2025 — about five years earlier than planned — and will instead extend the life of its fleet of aging Boeing F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters, according to the service’s recently released 2015 aviation plan. In previous years, the service had said it would replace its increasingly older fleet of original model Boeing F/A-18A – D Hornet strike fighters before retiring the Harriers before replacing both fighters with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Now, the Harrier will be retired in 2025...

“For a while I flew by the ship, I approached at 300 feet so he could see my landing gear and see what was going on,” Mahoney said. “At this point it was time to figure out, how do I get the jet back on the deck safely with only three landing gear?” The plan was to use a stool on the deck to stabilize the nose of the jet while Mahoney made a vertical landing using only the lights on the ship and assistance via radio from “Paddles.” “The ship had this amazing invention, called a stool, that was...

About 1,300 people were evacuated after a Marine jet carrying ammunitions crashed in a Yuma, Arizona neighborhood Wednesday. The pilot ejected safely. A Marine spokesperson said the jet was trying to land when it crashed in the backyard of a home about a mile from Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma. Authorities say there have been no reports of injuries related to the crash. A Marine spokesperson said the AV-8B Harrier was carrying four 500-pound bombs and 300 rounds of 20-milimeter ammunitions. A one-mile area around the crash site was evacuated so a military explosives disposal team could safely retrieve the ordnance....

One of the biggest concerns of the Spanish navy about its future -- the 'expiration' of the Harrier fighters and their complicated succession – has now been solved by a 70-million euro plan to extend their service life beyond 2025. Their intended replacement, the American F-35B, must wait "until it becomes financially accessible" for Spain. Spain has secured the future of its naval air wing, after years of uncertainty about what vertical takeoff fighters it would operate after 2020. After the loss of the aircraft carrier 'Principe de Asturias’ -- an ideal platform for STOVL fighters, but which has now...

A tale of two Harriers: How Italy held on to carrier strike 18 September 2012 Defence blogger Gabriele Molinelli explores the different approaches to defence that left financially troubled Italy with carrier strike capability while the UK faces nearly a decade without On 26 October 2011, the Italian Navy's 'Embarked Aircraft Group', GRUPAER, celebrated its first 20 years. The pilots of the squadron could proudly celebrate in front of their Harriers, having operated to great effect over Libya from the aircraft carrier Garibaldi. They flew 33 per cent of Italy's war sorties, and 53 per cent of the land attack...

Camp Bastion attack could be U.S. Marine Corps Harrier fleet’s ground zero September 22, 2012 As already explained, the recent Taliban attack on Camp Bastion, that cost the U.S. the worst air loss to enemy fire in one day since the Vietnam War, almost wiped out the entire U.S. Marine Harrier force in Afghanistan: besides killing two Marines, including the Commanding Officer of Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 211, six AV-8B+ aircraft were destroyed and two more severly injured. Since the VMA-211 “Avengers” had deployed to Afghanistan with 10 airframes, only two Harriers survived the insurgent attack in one of the...

Marine Attack Squadron loses eight Harrier jets in worst U.S. air loss in one day since the Vietnam War On Friday Sept. 14, at around 10.15 p.m. local time, a force of Taliban gunmen attacked Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province, the main strategic base in southwestern Afghanistan.About 15 insurgents (19 according to some reports), wearing U.S. Army uniforms, organized into three teams, breached the perimeter fence and launched an assault on the airfield, that includes the U.S. Camp Leatherneck and the UKâ€™s Camp Bastion, where British royal Prince Harry, an AH-64 Apache pilot (initially believed to be the main target...

Marine aviator of the year recalls historic mission in Libya 4/24/2012 By Cpl. Brian Adam Jones, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — The magnitude of the moment came to him over the radio, in a hoarse whisper. Maj. J. Eric Grunke sat in the cockpit of an AV-8B Harrier at just past midnight March 22, 2011, thousands of feet above the Mediterranean Sea, and speeding toward the Libyan coastline. Grunke was serving as a Harrier pilot assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit on the third day of Operation Odyssey Dawn, an...

A Harrier is attended by ground crew at an airbase in southern Italy in 1999, when the planes were involved in Nato attacks in the former Yugoslavia The Royal Navy's entire fleet of Harrier jump jets, the British plane controversially scrapped in last year's defence review, has been saved – by the US military. All 74 of the planes, which were permanently grounded by the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), are to fly again for the US marines, in a deal that is expected to be closed within a week. The Ministry of Defence said negotiations were continuing but...

U.S. Marine Corps Negotiates Buying Decommissioned British Harriers The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have agreed to buy Britain’s entire decommissioned fleet of 74 Harrier GR-9 and 9A Vertical/Short take off and Landing (V/STOL) fighter jets – a move expected to help the Corps operate Harrier jump jets into the mid-2020s and possibly replace aging two-seat F-18D Hornet strike fighters currently used for night attacks, Navy Times reports. A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defence confirmed the Disposal Services Agency was in talks with the U.S. Navy for the sale of the Harriers, their engines and spare parts. The...

Tomcat pilots test the newest Harrier system Story by Lance Cpl. Laura Cardoso Marine Attack Squadron 311 completed testing on the next generation of the AV-8B Harrier operating system May 12, 2011. Harrier 6.0, a software, hardware and weapons upgrade, specifically for the harrier, was designed to improve the efficiency of the aircraft. "We are always striving for improvements," said Maj. William Maples, Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif., harrier branch head. "We work towards more capability and better support for the guys on the ground. It's the nature of the business. We are always trying to improve...

Spain's Aircraft Carrier Begins Air-naval Certification Campaign Posted by Christina Mackenzie at 2/14/2011 9:28 AM CST The Juan Carlos I, Spain's amphibious aircraft carrier launched on September 30, 2010, is undergoing year-long sea trials and last week started the process of gaining its air-naval certification. The first helicopter landed aboard on February 8 at 10:51. Other helicopters from the 6th Squadron (Hughes 500) and the 3rd Squadron (AB-212) then followed. Commander Emilio Aceña Medina brings his helicopter in to land on the Juan Carlos I. Photo credit: Spanish Navy The next phase will involve landing and take-off of Harrier AV-8B...

11 February 2011 Last updated at 07:16 ET Share this pageFacebookTwitter ShareEmail Print eBay removes Harrier jump jet over weapons ban Mr Wilson has previously listed four similar jets on eBay Continue reading the main story Related Stories Harrier jet on sale in Queensbury Bid for Harrier fails to take off A decommissioned Harrier jump jet has been removed from online auction website eBay after officials said it contravened their weapons sales policy. The outer shell of the rare two-seater T2 Harrier, a former museum exhibit, was restored by Bradford company Jet Art Aviation. Company director Chris Wilson said the...

SYDNEY: A seven-year-old British boy nearly bought a real-life Harrier fighter jet for $113,515 via online shopping. The boy hit the "buy it now" button to purchase the fighter jet, which was put on sale at the online store eBay. But his father quickly apologised to the sellers, saying his son was not able to buy the aircraft out of his pocket money, news.com.au reported Friday. "His dad rang up and profusely apologised to us, so it's still for sale. We've put it on as an auction now so that won't happen again," said a spokeswoman for Britain-based Jet Art...

Last British exchange pilot bids farewell to Harrier Story by Lance Cpl. Jakob Schulz From across the pond he came. His goal, to fly the AV-8B Harrier. Now, however, as the time for his return draws near, Flight Lieutenant Douglas McKay, takes not only the British Harrier pilot exchange program, but a wealth of experience gained during his stay. In June 2009, McKay, 34, stepped off a plane with his wife and children after an exhausting 10 hours of flight, only to board another one heading into the desert of the American Southwest. Upon arrival, McKay, a native of Hamilton,...

For sale on eBay, a real flight of fancy: Decommissioned Harrier with an asking price of just £69,999 By Ian Drury Last updated at 1:42 AM on 3rd February 2011 It was the iconic fighter plane that helped Britain triumph in the Falklands War. Now aircraft enthusiasts are being offered the chance to snap up a Harrier jump jet to keep in their back garden. The last of the first generation of the revolutionary aircraft is being sold on the auction website eBay. Bargain: The world's last first generation two-seater Harrier jet is on sale on eBay at an asking...

BBC journalist Brian Hanrahan, is counted out at the age of 61 by Mark Jefferies, Daily Mirror 21/12/2010 HE counted them all out… and he counted them all back. And yesterday friends and colleagues were counting the loss of war reporter Brian Hanrahan – as a great bloke. The BBC stalwart, who made his name in the heat of battle in the Falklands, has died aged 61 after a short illness. He delivered his famous line about Harrier jump jets during the 1982 conflict to get round restrictions on revealing how many planes had taken part in any particular operation....

Royal Navy and RAF Harrier pilots face an uncertain future after the government revealed it is still reviewing the number it will retain following the decision to scrap the aircraft. The decision to scrap the aircraft was made as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in October, with the Harrier being taken out of service and numbers of Tornado aircraft set to be reduced. There are 135 Harrier pilots in the Royal Air Force and 53 in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Responding to a question from New Forest MP Julian Lewis, defence Minister Andrew Robathan said...

The pilots and maintanance crews did a great job getting the aircraft airbourne in nasty weather conditions, the specially painted Harriers looked great, and the children cheering the pilots and crew as they walked through the guard of honour, was a real special moment.

British Government to Scrap Aircraft Carrier 2010-12-16 06:59:44 Xinhua Web Editor: Luo The British government announced on Wednesday that it would scrap an aircraft carrier in 2014. The vessel, HMS Illustrious, will be scrapped as part of cuts in military spending that will total 7.8 percent of the overall budget of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) over the coming four years, Defense Secretary Liam Fox told members of parliament here. The budget cuts in military spending have already seen another aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, which is Illustrious' sister ship, retired last week, several years earlier than originally planned. Wednesday...

PICTURES: UK Harriers to make final operational flights today By Craig Hoyle Operations with the UK’s BAE Systems Harrier GR9/9A ground-attack aircraft will come to an end today, with the nation’s Joint Force Harrier organisation to perform a final series of sorties from the Royal Air Force’s Cottesmore base in Rutland. The farewell is to involve a 16-aircraft formation which will perform flypasts at the RAF’s facilities at Wyton, Cranwell, Waddington, Scampton and Coningsby and also over Stamford, Lincoln and Oakham before returning to land at Cottesmore. The aircraft should take off from around 13:15 local time and land around...

As a hopelessly patriotic sort of person, I have a fantasy of one day being on holiday in the south of France and looking up from, say, a biography of Nelson, to see an aircraft carrier appear on the horizon. Only instead of it being an American one, it will be British. No doubt the captain will come ashore in a smart launch and, if I were to be lucky, he might invite me aboard for a sundowner. All would be well in the world, and I would sleep soundly, dreaming of past glories at the Nile and Trafalgar. I...

This Is The End...Except It's Not Posted by Robert Wall at 12/13/2010 2:47 PM CST On Dec. 15, the U.K. will hold the ceremonial final flight of the Harrier. (Harrier GR.9s leaving HMS Ark Royal on last time. Credit: Crown Copyright) The end for Joint Force Harrier has come quickly after the Strategic Defense and Security Review, which called for the retirement of the fleet. A ceremonial flight of 16 Harriers will make a pass not just at the home base of RAF Cottesmore, but several other facilities, too. The Harrier GR.1 flew for the first time almost exactly 43...

Wednesday saw a Harrier jump jet depart for the final time from the British Ark Royal aircraft carrier. The aircraft was piloted by Flight Commander James Blackmore, who guided the last one of four Harrier jets safely from the flight deck of the HMS Ark Royal into the sky. The vessel was sailing in the North Sea on its way to Hamburg, Germany after departing from North Shields, North Tyneside. 35 year-old Flight Commander Blackmore said before taking off that it was a privilege and that he was immensely proud to be the final pilot to take off from the...

Tears as last Harrier jets leave Ark Royal A formation of Harrier jump jets have made their final journey from HMS Ark Royal - the last such flight from a UK aircraft carrier for about 10 years. The four GR9 jets marked the end of an era when they roared off the deck near North Shields, North Tyneside. Both the Ark Royal and the Harriers are being scrapped next year under cost-saving plans. The Harriers were heading 150 miles to RAF Cottesmore in Rutland and will be decommissioned next year. The Ark Royal was sailing across the North Sea to...

The highly-controversial cut to the Harrier force – condemned last week by several former heads of the service as "perverse" and risking "national humiliation" – was decided only three days before the final announcement of the defence review, sources said. Until then, the plan had been to scrap the RAF's Tornado fleet, the oldest strike aircraft currently in service. In a tense meeting, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the First Sea Lord, told Mr Cameron that he "could not endorse as his military advice" the decision to axe the Harriers and considered it a "political, not military decision."

Head of Navy made last minute plea to save Harriers from scrap-heap The head of the Navy furiously protested to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, about his last-minute decision to scrap all Britain's carrier aircraft, it can be revealed. By Andrew Gilligan The highly-controversial cut to the Harrier force – condemned last week by several former heads of the service as "perverse" and risking "national humiliation" – was decided only three days before the final announcement of the defence review, sources said. Until then, the plan had been to scrap the RAF's Tornado fleet, the oldest strike aircraft currently in...

We knew it was only a matter of time until people started talking about the contested Falkland Islands in the wake of Britain’s decision last month to retire its Harrier jump jets, a move that will leave the United Kingdom with no carrier-borne strike fighters for roughly a decade. Now a group of former British admirals have written an open letter to U.K. defense officials, published in The Times newspaper, urging them to reverse their move to retire the Harriers. For the next 10 years at least, Argentina is practically invited to attempt to inflict on us a national humiliation...

Indian air chief dismisses UK’s ‘iffy’ Harriers By James Lamont in Kalaikunda and Alex Barker in London Britain has hit an early obstacle in its bid to sell its fleet of Harrier jump jets after India, the most promising potential buyer, described the aircraft as “iffy” and obsolete. Air Chief Marshall PV Naik, the head of the Indian Air Force, said on Tuesday he would be looking to acquire modern aircraft of fourth-generation capabilities or better. “The Harrier doesn’t fit into that category,” the Air Chief Marshall said. His dismissive remarks over the “iffy” Harrier came soon after Air Chief...

UK seeks buyers for axed Harriers By Alex Barker, Political Correspondent Published: October 31 2010 22:31 Britain is to hang a “for sale” sign on its decommissioned fleet of Harrier jump-jets as ministers attempt to find buyers for aircraft they can no longer afford to fly. India and the US are the two most promising markets for more than 50 of the most up-to-date Harriers, which will otherwise be consigned to the scrap-yard or museum. Peter Luff, defence procurement minister, told the Financial Times that some of the kit axed in the defence review – including the Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft...

A fighter falls prey to politics The Coalition is to scrap the Harrier jump jet, while sparing the less effective Tornado. Little wonder the pilots are up in arms, says Con Coughlin. By Con Coughlin They have dedicated their careers to flying one of the world’s most iconic jet fighters. They have flown hundreds of combat missions in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iraq and Afghanistan again. But from now on the elite group of pilots that flew the Harrier jump jet find themselves kicking their heels on the tarmac with no planes to fly. Of all the painful decisions announced...

UK Defense Review - Harriers Out, Tornado Survives? Posted by Bill Sweetman at 10/18/2010 1:00 AM CDT UK Prime Minister David Cameron is due to announce the results of the nation's strategic defense and security review on Tuesday afternoon. After performing twists and gyrations that would have put Strictly Come Dancing's Flexible Felicity to shame, much of the media had settled last week on a common narrative. Either it's right or the Ministry of Defence's department of obfuscation will pull down the OBEs and MBEs big-time in the next honours list. If the speculation and leaks are correct, these are...

bureaucratic dogfight between supporters of different combat jets as the UK draws up defence cuts could lead to changes in the way aircraft carriers are designed and how British forces operate, defence sources said. Options being studied by military planners include delaying the deployment of new carriers to convert them to use conventional traps and catapults instead of the unmechanised decks envisaged for Lockheed Martin F-35 jets to be ordered by Britain. The move, which sources briefed on the matter said is one of several options as the UK prepares defence cutbacks, would involve other changes to Britain's role in...

ANALYSIS - Harrier, Tornado in battle royal over UK cuts PARIS (Reuters) - A bureaucratic dogfight between supporters of different combat jets as the UK draws up defence cuts could lead to changes in the way aircraft carriers are designed and how British forces operate, defence sources said. Options being studied by military planners include delaying the deployment of new carriers to convert them to use conventional traps and catapults instead of the unmechanised decks envisaged for Lockheed Martin F-35 jets to be ordered by Britain. The move, which sources briefed on the matter said is one of several options...

Threat to jobs as Harriers plan puts new carriers at risk By Andrew Whitaker ACTION to protect thousands of Scottish defence jobs has been demanded after it emerged military chiefs are looking at axing the UK's entire fleet of Harrier aircraft in a cost saving measure. The coalition government has made it clear it intends to cut defence spending by about 20 per cent, and it has emerged that a weekend meeting of the UK's new National Security Council debated either cutting all the 36 Harriers currently operated by both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force or the RAF's...

India's first naval fighter squadron turns 50 TNN, Jul 5, 2010, 12.38am IST NEW DELHI: The `White Tigers' turn 50 this week. No, not the ones from Rewa but India's first-ever naval fighter squadron, which takes its name from the famous tigers with white fur instead of the usual orange due to a recessive gene. It was on July 7, 1960, that the INSAS 300 squadron was commissioned at the British Royal Naval air station in Brawdy, propelling India into the exclusive club of countries which flew fighters from aircraft carriers. The squadron, with its crest depicting the white tiger...

Guided rockets set to arm US A-10s and Harriers By Stephen Trimble Precision-guided rockets could be added to the weapons load-out of the US Air Force's Fairchild A-10 and the US Marine Corps' Boeing AV-8B Harrier II strike aircraft under a proposal led by the US Navy. The USN soon plans to launch a joint concept technology demonstration to add a BAE Systems guided rocket called the advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS II) to both aircraft. Plans for the demonstration were revealed in a navy acquisition notice posted on 4 January. This says that the service intends to buy...

British Harrier pilot diverted bomb mid-flight to save civilians A British Harrier pilot managed to abort a bomb attack in mid-flight, steering a smart bomb away from its intended Taleban target after a group of civilians strayed into the target area, footage released by the Ministry of Defence showed today. The footage, which was shot from the camera on the jet last year but has been only now declassified, shows that the bomb had already been launched when its target, a Taleban commander in a vehicle, stopped next to a group of civilians. The RAF pilot then made the snap...

Navy grounds Sea Harrier fleet after crash TNN 26 August 2009, 01:23am IST NEW DELHI: Navy has grounded its Sea Harrier fighters, which operate from the country's solitary aircraft carrier INS Viraat, as a precautionary measure after one of the jump-jets crashed last Friday. Sources said the Sea Harrier fleet, which is down to just eight single-seat fighters and three twin-seater trainers now, will undergo systematic checks to ascertain whether a "technical defect'' caused the crash off Goa, which killed the pilot, Lt-Commander Saurabh Chandra Saxena. Apart from the acute shortfall in the number of fighters to operate from the...

Flying the Sea Harrier: a test pilot's perspective By Craig Hoyle Royal Navy Cdr Nigel "Sharkey" Ward and the Royal Air Force's David Morgan gained their place in British military folklore by flying the navy's British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS1 fighter with distinction during the 1982 Falklands War. Flight International's UK test pilot Peter Collins offers a rare insight on flying the "SHAR", having sailed south aboard the rapidly completed aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious as the combat action drew to a close. Freshly posted to Germany as an RAF Harrier GR3 ground-attack pilot, Collins was recalled to the UK after...

Harriers - 40 years old and still jumping 07:01 GMT, March 18, 2009 Few aircraft can be described as truly iconic, fewer still remain in service over long periods, but this year the British-designed Harrier celebrates its 40th birthday, having spent the past five years as a mainstay on operations in Afghanistan. And the Harrier really is unique - no other jet in service has its Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) capability where pilots can land on shortened runways, carrier decks or on landing pads in the middle of a forest. Developed during the Cold War, the Harrier has continually...

Harrier Matches JSF Range - Official Posted by Bill Sweetman at 3/6/2009 7:39 AM CST Commenter Solomon Shorter's assertion that the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter has more than twice the payload and range of the Harrier started me thinking. Popular sites and standard fact sheets say one thing, my 1996 Jane's something else. How about the US Navy's official aircraft characteristics manual? Fortunately, someone decided that the Harrier was so old, that had to be historic, so they put it on the web. OK, this is not an entirely fair comparison. The JSF is stealthy and supersonic and has an...

Harrier dispute between Navy and RAF chiefs sees Army 'marriage counsellor' called in The Defence Secretary John Hutton has been forced to call in an Army general to act as a “marriage counsellor” to resolve a bitter dispute between the heads of the Royal Navy and RAF over the future of the Harrier jump jet. By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent Last Updated: 1:32PM GMT 04 Feb 2009 Harrier jump jet, Air Marshal Torpy suggested that the Ministry of Defence could save £1 billion if the Harrier was phased out of service. Photo: PA The relationship between the First Sea Lord,...

Arms sale 'sparked Soviet ire' LONDON: British efforts to boost relations with China by selling it military equipment during the Cold War provoked fury from the Soviet Union, the declassified documents showed yesterday. Britain thought selling Harrier aircraft to China, which was boosting its military capacity after Mao Zedong's death, could improve ties between the countries as officials started to think about the future of Hong Kong. It was also seen as way of helping British industry, while prime minister Callaghan was concerned that Britain was falling behind France in relations with China. But the plan hit trouble when the...

WASHINGTON — The pilot of a AV-8B Harrrier was killed Monday when his jet crashed in the woods outside Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., service officials said. The single-seat jet crashed about 12:15 p.m. while returning from a routine training flight. At press time officials from Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 said they did not know the cause of the crash. Marine officials said the aircraft went down in a largely unpopulated area about one mile from the air station. Local authorities say the crash did not affect any of the few homes in the area. The identity...

St. Mary's County Regional Airport is home to a fleet of single-engine Cessnas, many of them owned by amateur pilots and parked in tidy rows just off the runway. But in a hangar at the edge of the grounds sits a Harrier, a hulking jet that takes off and lands vertically, cruises at speeds in excess of 600 mph and is similar to the Marines' primary attack aircraft. That is Art Nalls's plane. Nalls, a 53-year-old former Marine test pilot who made a fortune in real estate, has turned flying into an extraordinarily expensive hobby. He believes that his newest...

Hover and out Sandeep Unnithan December 27, 2007 It was past 11 on a warm Monday morning when Commander Janak Bevli’s Sea Harrier came to land on the tarmac on the naval air station at Goa’s picturesque Dabolim airport. It was not an ordinary fighter aircraft landing, Commander Bevli gently rotated the Sea Harrier’s Vertical/Short Take Off and Landing (V/STOL) thrust nozzles down towards the runway, bringing the aircraft to a gentle hover. Just then, the aircraft began yawing out of control. In a flash the experienced pilot yanked the twin handles of the Martin Baker ejection seat between his...